Destination
Cunha: The Pottery-and-Wine Town in the Mountains Above Paraty
Climb the Paraty–Cunha road into a world of pottery studios, Japanese kilns, high-altitude wineries and cool air. A surprising day trip.
Climb the Paraty–Cunha road for about an hour and the landscape changes completely: the sea gives way to mountains, the heat to a cool breeze, and the colonial townscape to pottery studios. Cunha, just over the line into São Paulo state, is the day trip almost no one expects to find so close to the beach.
The pottery town
Cunha is famous for its artistic pottery studios and Japanese noborigama kilns — wood-fired climbing kilns, among the few of their kind in Brazil, that burn for days and give the pieces unique colors. Several studios open for visits, and you can buy directly from the makers.
High-altitude wine and mountain air
Above 1,000 meters, Cunha has developed high-altitude wineries offering tastings with mountain views. The cool climate, seasonal lavender fields and rustic cafés complete the contrast with coastal Paraty — bring a layer.
How to get there
It's about an hour by car from Paraty on the mountain road — the same one that passes the waterfalls and distilleries. Much of it is now paved. You can pair Cunha with a waterfall stop on the way, rounding out a day that blends mountains, art and wine.
